Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stake Decreased by Diamant Asset Management Inc.

Diamant Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 141,403 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 7,078 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 22.6% of Diamant Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Diamant Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $35,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Bull Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 252.3% in the third quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its position in shares of Apple by 88.9% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in Apple in the third quarter worth $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in Apple in the third quarter worth $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the third quarter valued at $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $218.27 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $231.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.26. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.08 and a 1 year high of $260.10. The stock has a market cap of $3.28 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a return on equity of 160.83% and a net margin of 24.30%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp restated an “underweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Apple from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Oppenheimer cut Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Apple from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.65.

About Apple

Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. The company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; Mac, a line of personal computers; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; and wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, and HomePod.